I've seen The Jingle All The Way Christmas Tag doing the rounds again this Christmas, so I've decided to join in and give the tag a go.
If you want to know if I've ever recycled a gift, what I have for Christmas dinner, or how I spend the holidays, this is the day you'll find out. Aren't I good to you?
Where will you be celebrating Christmas this year?
I'll be spending Christmas at home in Oxfordshire, England, as I do every year.
Who will you be celebrating Christmas with?
Christmas Day is always just my immediate family and I- my parents, two sisters, brother-in-law, and our dogs, Rosie, and Mia. We visit family and friends before or after the 25th.
Do you own any ugly Christmas jumpers?
I don't know if I'd call them ugly, but I do have a few Christmas jumpers in my wardrobe. The only problem is, I find I'm always too hot to be able to wear them!
How do you spend Christmas Eve?
We always used to travel over to my Auntie's Christmas Eve party, but the last few years have been spent at home as she's taken a break from hosting or had the party a few days earlier. In the morning, I usually end up wrapping any last minute presents, going to the supermarket with the sister to stock up on last minute essentials and then baking yummy treats in her kitchen. I also make my blackberry and apple trifle ready for Christmas Day. In the afternoon, we'll be back at mine where we'll all watch Christmas movies together, help my Mum make food for our Christmas Eve buffet, and spend late afternoon / early evening grazing on it. Sometimes my sister, brother-in-law, and I will then go for a drive to spot Christmas lights, and once I get home, I'll crawl back in to bed to recover, and watch festive TV or movies as I wind down, and get ready for the morning. It's pretty chilled, but lovely.
When do you put up your decorations?
I usually start putting up decorations in my bedroom from the 1st of December, but decorating the house seems to get later every year. We used to decorate a few days in to December, but life and chronic illness get in the way, and sometimes we don't manage to put the decs up until a week before Christmas. Hopefully it won't be so late this year! I like to enjoy them as long as possible.
Do you have a decorating theme?
No, we've never themed our decorations. We use the same decorations every year that have been collected over a life time. There are decorations on our family tree from mine and my sister's childhoods, from when my parents first set up house together in the seventies, and there are even a few that belonged to my grandparents. Nothing matches, but they're full of memories, and almost everything's meaningful. The decorations in my bedroom match a little better, but I didn't set out to theme them. They're mostly colourful and mid-century modern, with a few vintage baubles added for good measure, as that's what I keep finding myself drawn to these days.
Do you have a tree topper?
We have a couple of angels, and a glittery white snowflake that we choose from each year. I still haven't got around to buying one for my bedroom tree, though.
What's been your least favourite gift that you have received?
Nothing really comes to mind, apart from all the cheap-quality manicure sets I used to receive year after year from the same person. I appreciated the gesture, but had no use for them after the first one.
What would you like to find in your stocking this year?
I'd love to find some concert tickets- especially since it's been over two years since my last gig (thanks, Covid)- but I'd never be that lucky.
When did you start buying gifts this year?
I actually started buying gifts straight after Christmas last year! I try to shop for gifts throughout the year to spread the cost.
Have you ever recycled a gift?
I've never regifted, exactly, but I have passed on unwanted gifts to other friends or family with total honestly that it was an unwanted present.
What do you leave out for Santa?
Leave out treats for someone who sees me when I'm sleeping, and somehow knows when I'm awake?? I don't think so. It would only encourage him.
Have you ever been carolling?
Not that I can recall, although, I seem to remember being in a Christingle parade in primary school with my Mum and sister which might have involved singing carols as we walked from school to town. Carol singing isn't something many people do in England these days.
What do you usually have for Christmas dinner?
We always have a turkey roast with all the trimmings, which usually includes roast and mashed potatoes, sage and onion stuffing (made with sausage meat), carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, butternut squash or sweet potato, swede, peas, and parsnips. We might also have some gammon or roast goose, pigs in blankets, and Yorkshire puddings, but they're extras that vary from year to year. For dessert, we usually have a choice of my Mum's apple pie, my sister's Chocolate Squidgy Log, and my blackberry and apple trifle. It's the best meal of the year!
When do you open gifts?
We always open our presents on Christmas morning as soon as everyone is up, which is usually around 8-9am these days. We'll then exchange presents with my sister and brother-in-law around 11am-12pm when they arrive for the day.
How do you spend Boxing Day?
Doing as little as possible! I like to spend Boxing Day at home watching festive TV in my PJs, eating turkey sandwiches and cake, and spending some time with my family. If I want to do any sales shopping, I'd rather do it online than subject myself to the crowds on the high-street.
Describe a Christmas present you wanted badly as a kid, but never received.
I always wanted a Care Bear teddy, but to this day, I've never had one.
Have you ever kissed anyone under the mistletoe?
No, never. I don't think I've ever even been to a Christmas party or gathering where mistletoe was hung.
What's your favourite character from a Christmas-themed movie, book, or TV special?
Movie- Probably The Snowman, or the singing vegetables in The Muppets Christmas Carol.
Book- Jo and Beth March in Little Women.
TV Special- Nessa as Father Christmas in the first Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special.
If you were Santa Claus, what treats would you want to be left out for you on Christmas Eve?
Concert tickets, Erstwilder brooches, and freshly-baked chocolate-chip cookies.
What's your favourite Christmas movie?
There are loads of Christmas movies that I love, but I think it's between Santa Claus the Movie or The Muppets Christmas Carol. You just can't beat them.
Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Only once, that I can remember. In 2010, we had the coldest winter I can remember, and unusually, had deep snow on the ground for several weeks before Christmas. It was so cold, there were icicles everywhere the length of my arm, and the snow stayed for weeks without thawing. I think it got down to -12'C in the day time. My Mum was able to keep the turkey frozen under the snow (it wouldn't fit in the freezer), leading up to Christmas, and we used it to chill drinks for Christmas dinner, too! Christmas Day came, and we still had at least a foot of snow on the ground, and it looked like a winter wonderland. We went for a walk after Christmas dinner to enjoy the novelty of a white Christmas, but the air was so cold it burned our lungs. It didn't actually snow on Christmas Day, so I know it doesn't officially count, but there was snow, it was white, and it was Christmas, so it was a white Christmas to me.
Where do you usually spend your holidays?
At home in The Cotswolds.
What is your favourite Christmas song?
I'm not sure that I have a single favourite Christmas song; there are so many that I love, and enjoy listening to every year. A few of my current faves are:
Last Christmas by Wham.
Step in to Christmas by Elton John.
I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake.
A Spaceman Came Travelling by Chris de Burgh.
All Alone on Christmas by Darlene Love.
It's Only Christmas by Ronan Keating.
Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson.
Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
No, we haven't done that since I was little, when my sisters and I were allowed to open one present from our relatives, under the tree. These days we wait 'til Christmas morning.
Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? (No cheating)!
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph, of course.
Which holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?
Decorating the tree, taking a drive to spot Christmas lights, opening presents with my dog (she gets so excited, so it's so much fun!), and sitting down to Christmas dinner with the family.
Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
We have a fake tree in the living room, and I have a smaller real tree in my bedroom. Best of both worlds!
What is your favourite holiday treat / sweet / food?
I always look forward to Christmas dinner, especially my brother-in-law's goose fat roast potatoes. If we're talking sweet treats, I enjoy a few Cadbury Roses (Hazelnut Whirls are my favourite), and can never say to 'no' to a slice of my sister's Squidgy Chocolate Log, my Mum's Apple Pie, or my Blackberry and Apple trifle. They may not sound particularly festive, but they're three desserts we always make at Christmas in my family, and rarely have at any other time of year.
Be honest, do you prefer giving or receiving gifts?
Receiving gifts is great, but I prefer giving gifts. I love spoiling the people I care about, hunting down the perfect presents, and seeing their reactions when I get it right.
What is the best Christmas present that you've ever received?
I still think it's the Sega Mega Drive my sisters and I were given for Christmas 1994, when I was nine. We'd never had a modern games console before, so it was the most exciting thing ever. I can't think how many hours we all spent playing The Lion King, Columns, Maui Mallard, Aladdin, and Golden Axe over the next few years.
What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
Either New York or somewhere cold and snowy in Scandinavia where I can see the Northern Lights.
Are you a pro wrapper or do you fail miserably?
I like to think I'm a pro-wrapper. I always put lots of effort in to wrapping presents as beautifully as I can, and finish them off with ribbons and little decorations. My family and friends usually say nice things about how they're wrapped, so I think that's a good sign.
Most memorable Christmas moment?
The Christmas my Mum cut a chunk out of her shin retrieving presents on Christmas Eve was pretty memorable. There was blood everywhere, and she refused to go to A&E to get it seen to, as it was Christmas Eve. My sister had to drag her there after Christmas dinner on Christmas Day, and she ended up needing stitches.
What made you realise the truth about Santa?
My Dad has chronic asthma and a very loud, distinct cough. On Christmas Eve when I was about seven and in bed unable to sleep from the excitement, I heard him coughing in the living room after midnight as he put out our presents from Santa. I'd already suspected Santa wasn't real so I wasn't upset, but that was the proof I needed.
What makes the holidays special for you?
Getting to enjoy all the festivities with my family and friends, and make new festive memories together. And also my dog's excitement when she gets to open her presents, because it's just the cutest thing. It's like celebrating Christmas with a furry toddler.
And that's the Jingle All The Way Christmas Tag.
I tag... anyone who wants to give the tag a go! Make sure to send me a link to your post if you decide to take part so that I can read your answers.
What's your favourite thing about Christmas?
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